Kind & Compassionate Toward One Another
Notes
Transcript
Today we are going to continue in our summer sermon series looking at some of the “one another” commands that we find in Scripture and some practical ways in which we can make changes in our lives in relation to these commands. We talked about encouraging one another, praying for one another, valuing or considering one another, comforting one another, showing hospitality toward one another, and caring for one another. At the end of each of those messages we ended with several practical steps we might take to improve how we do with these commands in our own lives. We’ve been challenged to let God point out to us how we are doing and what we might do differently as we continue to allow him to transform us. I hope that we all have taken these to heart as we considered how we might be able to work on how we might become more intentional about live life among each other.
As we get started, I have a question for you to think about. What do you think about when I mention being kind and compassionate toward other people? Are you kind and compassionate toward others regularly? Have you ever been accused of being “too nice?”
Today’s passage is titled “Instructions for Christian Living” in my NIV Bible. There is much for us to grasp from this passage, much more than we have time to dive into this morning.
17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.
18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.
19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.
20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned
21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.
22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;
23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds;
24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.
26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,
27 and do not give the devil a foothold.
28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.
29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
In this passage, we see Paul giving the Ephesians instructions for what their lives should look like when they are born again in Christ. In the first three verses, we see Paul urging the church at Ephesus to not live as they did before, or immorally as Gentiles of that time normally did. Instead, he is calling them to live according to their new identity in Christ. He goes on to talk about what that new identify, that new life should look like.
Paul reminds the readers in verse 21 that they were taught in Christ in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. He presumes that they really “heard” the things they were taught. He goes on to remind them of three imperatives:
to put off - referring to their old corrupted, deceitful selves. Believers were taught to abandon their former way of life.
to be made new - in the attitudes of their minds. Believers need to be renewed by the Spirit in their minds. The present tense of this word emphasizes that this is a continuous process of renewal. God is the only source for this inside-out transformation. Sanctifying change begins with the renewal of our minds and works itself outward into visible, tangible expressions in our lives.
to put on - the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. When we accept Christ, we are re-created. God has forgiven and forgotten the things we did in our former lives and restores us to the relationship we were created for. This new self is created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Paul’s point here is that becoming Christians required a radical break with their past and a continuously new kind of life in the future. Decisive moral renewal had begun and it was an ongoing process. We are never done, Christ will always be at work, through the Spirit in our lives continuing to transform us into more Christlike beings.
Then in verse 25, we see a set of instructions that help us to identify with this new identity we have in Christ. As I was studying this week, the commentary suggested a better translation that what we see here in the NIV. Instead of “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood” it would be a better translation to say “So, because you have put off falsehood.” In the same way, “speak truthfully” might translate as “keep speaking the truth.” You could apply this to each of the imperatives we see in verses 26-30. The old identity comes to a definitive end when we put off the old self through repentance and are made into new creatures through Jesus Christ.
Verse 31 is one that I think many struggle with in our humanness. Paul warns us to
31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
In general, we as humans do not do well with this. We tend to find ways to divide versus bringing people together under the gospel, and we find many reasons to do so. Politics and the current pandemic are two of the ways that we see this playing out today. We see this playing out in the upcoming election. There is much rage and anger, brawling and slander. As believers, we are called to be better than this. We are called to be followers of Christ before anything else. We are called to be peacemakers. Then in verse 32, Paul gives us the alternative:
32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
This is how the picture of a life transformed by Jesus should look. Kindness. Compassion for others. Forgiveness should be our go to. Unfortunately I do not see much kindness and compassion in the world today. I see division. I see hatred toward people who think and believe differently than us. I unfortunately see “Christians” who look more like this in their actions and on their social media than they Christ they claim to serve. That is tragic and breaks my heart as a pastor.
We never know when a kind word or act of compassion will have a lasting impact on someone’s life. Listen to this story.
One day a teacher asked her students to list the names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name.
Then she told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down. It took the remainder of the class period to finish their assignment, and as the students left the room, each one handed in the papers.
That Saturday, the teacher wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper, and listed what everyone else had said about that individual.
On Monday she gave each student his or her list. Before long, the entire class was smiling. “Really?” she heard whispered. “I never knew that I meant anything to anyone!” and, “I didn’t know others liked me so much,” were most of the comments.
No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. She never knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn’t matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with themselves and one another. That group of students moved on.
Several years later, one of the students was killed in Vietnam and his teacher attended the funeral of that special student. The church was packed with his friends. One by one those who loved him took a last walk by the coffin. The teacher was the last do so.
As she stood there, one of the soldiers who acted as pallbearer came up to her. “Were you Mark’s math teacher?” he asked. She nodded: “Yes.” Then he said: “Mark talked about you a lot.”
After the funeral, most of Mark’s former classmates went together to a luncheon. Mark’s mother and father were there, obviously waiting to speak with his teacher.
“We want to show you something,” his father said, taking a wallet out of his pocket. “They found this on Mark when he was killed. We thought you might recognize it.”
Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded and refolded many times. The teacher knew without looking that the papers were the ones on which she had listed all the good things each of Mark’s classmates had said about him.
“Thank you so much for doing that,” Mark’s mother said. “As you can see, Mark treasured it.”
All of Mark’s former classmates started to gather around. Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said, “I still have my list. It’s in the top drawer of my desk at home.”
Chuck’s wife said, “Chuck asked me to put his in our wedding album.”
“I have mine too,” Marilyn said. “It’s in my diary.”
Then Vicki, another classmate, reached into her pocketbook, took out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled list to the group. “I carry this with me at all times,” Vicki said and without batting an eyelash, she continued: “I think we all saved our lists.”
That’s when the teacher finally sat down and cried. She cried for Mark and for all his friends who would never see him again.
Tell those you love why you appreciate them while you can.
https://ministry127.com/resources/illustration/kind-words
Let’s take a few moments and look at some practical ways to show kindness and compassion to others:
1. Be selfless.
Put yourself in others’ shoes. Place your happiness in the happiness of others. Instead of just thinking and caring for yourself, start caring for others. Break free from selfishness. Compassion is a great journey to go out of yourself and start caring, helping, and making other people happy. Learning how to be selfless is a great start to becoming a more compassionate person.
2. Be humble.
Free yourself of pride. Stop feeling superior to others, don’t act like you know everything, admit your own mistakes, and learn to forgive people. If there’s humility in your heart, it would be easier for you to be compassionate towards others, because your heart can listen, see, and feel clearly what’s inside the hearts of others.
3. Get rid of your hatred.
Learn how to stop hating and starting loving. Stop judging people, forcing them to change, and getting mad at them when your wants are not met. We do not have to all agree on something in order to be kind to each other. Instead, start appreciating the good things about them, giving them the chance to change themselves, and understanding their weaknesses. Remember that you cannot be compassionate if your mind and heart are shrouded by hatred.
4. Listen carefully.
Do not ignore people when they talk to you. Don’t talk too much but give them the opportunity to express themselves. Listen to their stories to know what they are dealing with. Understand the messages they want to convey. Take note that compassion is about awareness, not ignorance.
5. Accept and respect them.
Compassion is about understanding others. But you cannot understand someone you cannot accept. Hence, learn to accept people for who they are. You may inspire them to change by being a role model, but you may not force them to change into someone they don’t want to be. Show compassion to others by showing them respect. Respect others’ privacy, decisions, and individuality. Respect your wife as a woman or your husband as a man. Respect your parents as they know better than you what’s good for you. Respect your elders because they have lived life longer than you. Always spend time and effort to know them better and understand their positions, so that you may give them the respect and honor they deserve.
6. Forgive them.
Do not think of getting revenge when people hurt you. Your heart may be broken, but it’s your choice to make it heal. Let your heart be healed by forgiving those who broke your heart. Forgive them, especially if they are sincerely asking for your forgiveness. Understand that they are also feeling guilty and sorry, and that makes them in pain. Also, show mercy to them.
7. Apologize to them.
Do not be ignorant of your sins. Do not ignore the harm and sufferings you have inflicted to others. Hear your conscience. Be compassionate by realizing your faults, helping people heal the wounds you caused them, and making them smile again.
8. Appreciate and trust them.
When people do things for your own good, whether they are big or small, be thankful to them. Be grateful for their efforts and appreciate the time and energy they have given up for you. Remember that compassion is also an awareness of how thoughtful other people are to you. Give others the trust they deserve. Trust your spouse for it hurts them a lot when you show doubts despite their efforts to remain faithful and loyal. Trust your parents for it breaks their heart when their children disregard the many years of experiences and lessons they have acquired in life. To show compassion, do not forget the efforts they sacrificed just to make themselves trustworthy in your eyes.
9. Practice acts of kindness.
There are many ideas that fall into the category “act of kindness”. This could include donating clothes to the poor, time to help serve meals, saying kind or encouraging words, or maybe just taking a minute to hold the door open for someone else. The possibilities are endless!
10. Allocate time to bond with friends and family.
Life is too short to be “busy” all the time. We all have a tendency to get caught up in the daily hustle and bustle of getting to school, going to work, getting homework done, and trying to catch up on chores around the house. Set aside time to forget about everything you need to do and just spend a few hours catching up with family and friends. It will be time well spent and you will have plenty of time to catch up on your to-do list later.
Let’s focus on being kind and compassionate people who are kingdom minded and kingdom focused rather than people focused on what this world has to offer. We can find so many things today that divide us. I challenge each of you to find ways to be different, to break the mold, and to show the light of Christ during these days. You never know how kind and compassionate actions or forgiving someone can impact them eternally. Let’s focus on these things and not the divisive debates of our days. Take a look at your interactions with people and allow God to speak to you regarding whether you are being kind and compassionate showing the love of Christ or you are showing something else. Take a hard look at how you interact on social media. Remember that whether we like it or not, our social media says much about us, particularly if we claim to be a follower of Christ. Let’s make sure we do not say one thing and by the things we post show something totally different.
Let’s pray.
BENEDICTION:
2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
11 Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.